Three Is Better than One
by Habibty17
Summary: How would the story be if Fíli and Kíli had an older sister? Would the outcome be any different? Would Thorin be more kind? Níli is not just a female dwarf; she is protective of her brothers whom she loves more than anything. The journey will be a hard one with many obstacles, but how will she handle those? Can she save those she loves, and will she find some romance along the way?
1. The Beginning

_**A/N:**_

_**Hi everyone, welcome to the story of Níli, sister-daughter of Thorin Oakenshield.  
I had this thought; how would it be for Fíli and Kíli to have an older sister? Thus came this story.  
This is just a prologue before I start with the movies where I will be letting Níli join of course.**_

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**Meeting Fíli**

"It's so tiny uncle Thorin."

Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór smiled down at his niece and shifted the little bundle that held the future King under the Mountain, one arm now free to effortlessly lift the lass up and place her on his knee. He watched how she studied her little brother with her big, blue eyes and chuckled when she wrinkled her nose.

"Not very pretty, are you?" she frowned, reaching out one finger to touch the little blonde tuft of hair that was visible.

"Now now, Níli," Thorin scolded gently, "that is not a very nice thing to say about your little brother."

"Mama always said not to lie, uncle." Níli said, looking up at him with innocent eyes. "I didn't say he was ugly. Just not pretty."

The dark-haired dwarf had to stop himself from laughing at his niece's clever answer.

"He's all wrinkly."

"That is normal for a baby, Níli. You were wrinkly as well when you were born 10 years ago."

Níli's eyes widened comically and her little mouth popped open. "I was?" When her uncle gave an amused nod, her expression changed into one of concentration, as if she was thinking about something very deeply. Her eyes settled back on her little brother and after a while of observing the sleeping baby, she nodded thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about, little one?" Thorin asked her gently, albeit curiously.

"He has yellow hair," she said. The Prince lifted one eyebrow and wondered where his niece was going with this. "Papa has yellow hair too."

He nodded, telling her that they indeed shared the same hair colour.

"Papa is pretty, so that means that Tiny will be pretty too. Right uncle?" Níli looked up at Thorin with certainty in her eyes. She was intelligent for her age, of that the Prince was certain.

"He will grow to be a very handsome lad one day." Thorin nodded. "But you will have to help him."

The little dwarfling sighed as if a huge burden had just been presented to her. "How?"

"You can start by showing your little brother his big sister." Thorin told her, before he stood up from with both of his sister-children and placed Níli on the chair. Ignoring her protests and sending her a stern look, he gently laid the baby-dwarfling in her arms and couldn't help but feel satisfied when she automatically held him close to her, being careful as to not grip the blonde baby too tight.

Thorin knelt down a little and looked on how his niece was handling having her little brother in her arms for the first time.

The blue-eyed dwarfling studied the tiny bundle in her arms and a slow smile started to form when her little brother made eye contact with her. They shared the same color of eyes. "He's looking at me, uncle."

"He recognizes you as his big sister, Níli." He gently told her, feeling relieved when his niece didn't refer to her brother with 'it' any more. "Your uncle Frérin did the same when I first held him in my arms when I was but a dwarfling myself."

"What do big brothers and sisters do?" she asked her uncle curiously, not once taking her eyes off the now awake baby.

"They love and protect them fiercely."

Uncertainty began to show itself on Níli features and as always, she looked at her uncle for assuring. "Do you think I can do that?"

Thorin gave her a meaningful look and patted her head softly. "I have no doubt that you will be the best older sister that any dwarf could ever ask for."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You promise?"

"I swear."

Satisfied with her uncle's answers, she turned her attention back to her sibling and felt surprised but satisfied when she noticed that his eyes had not strayed from her being. She slowly guided her pinky to his face and stroked his chubby cheek, pleasantly surprised by the softness of his skin. Her surprise turned into shock when a tiny hand took a hold of her finger, and her little brother started to let out a high sound. It took her a while before she realized that it was his way of laughing. She kept still, watching how his little fingers curled around her pinky. She stayed seated like that, her uncle near to keep a watchful eye on the both of them. After a while, she began to feel his grip soften and saw how his eyes fluttered closed.

"What do you think, Níli?" Thorin asked his niece expectantly. It surprised him how important it was for him to see and hear the acceptance of his sister-daughter.

"What's his name?" she asked, her eyes not straying from her sleeping sibling.

"Fíli."

A grin broke out on her features and she turned her head so fast, one of her dark-brown braids almost whipped Thorin in the face. "Fíli sounds a lot like Níli!"

Thorin shushed his niece with a smile, reminding her that the little bundle in her arms was sleeping peacefully. "It does."

Giggling softly, Níli gazed at her little brother and her once curious and reluctant gaze changed into one of acceptance, pride and love for her little sibling.

"Well Fíli," she whispered, "you may not be very pretty and smell a bit weird, but you have the best name ever. And you are a little adorable." Níli added, pressing a kiss on top of Fíli's head.

Thorin gleamed with pride and chuckled heartily. His chuckled suddenly stopped when he remembered what she had said. Smell a bit weird?

Standing straight again and taking Fíli in his own arms, he sniffed him and gritted his teeth when he smelled something familiar.

"Dís!"

"Shh, uncle Thorin!"

* * *

**Meeting Kíli**

"Uncle Thorin?"

"Yes?" Thorin sighed, turning his head to look at his sister's daughter who was watching her younger brother play with some beads.

"Why is mama screaming so much?" 'Kggh' noises could be heard every time Fíli bumped two beads against each other.

As if on que, Dís let out a scream of pain and Thorin cringed. "Well," he coughed uncomfortably, "your mother is having another dwarfling. You know that Níli, your father and mother told you."

The 15 year old had a contemplating look on her face before she looked at her uncle. "It hurts?"

"No Níli," he sarcastically replied, "she is screaming because it tickles."

"Papa sometimes tickles mama," she said thoughtfully, "but I never hear mama scream like that when papa does so."

Thorin blinked down at his very serious looking niece. "Go play with Fíli, please. You are making your uncle crazy."

The dwarf felt worried when a giant grin formed on her delicate dwarven features. "Mama says that is im-im… uh… im-"

"Impossible?"

"Yes! That! Because you are already crazy uncle!" She let out a giggle in delight when Thorin got a slight glare in his eyes and squealed with laughter when he picked her up and started tickling her.

"Now that is a sight not many get to see!"

Abruptly stopping the tickling fight, Thorin looked up and cleared his throat when he saw his younger brother standing in the doorway. "Frérin, Dís is in-"

"Labour, yes," he chuckled, bending down to pick up his nephew, "I could hear her all the way from the castle. Poor sister."

"Uncle Thorin says mama screams because it tickles." Níli exclaimed, throwing her arms up and walking toward her other uncle to greet him with a tug on his long, dark hair when he bend down to greet his niece.

"Is that so?" Frérin asked, raising his eyebrows at his older brother and chuckling when he saw the embarrassed look on his face.

"Yes, ask Fíli!" Standing on her toes, Níli looked at her brother in the arms of her uncle and shot the dwarfling an affectionate smile. "Uncle Thorin did say so, right Fíli?"

The blond dwarfling could only blink at his sister before he reached out a hand to tug on a bead in her hair.

"Fíli, not now, mama just got them right again! Wait until she is done with the tickles."

Through the laughter of Frérin and the groan of Thorin, a soft wailing could be heard from the bedroom where Dís lay. Everyone in the room fell silent, even Níli whose eyes grew wide with remembrance and fascination. Not even bothering to shoot her uncles a questioning look, she all but ran to the door and softly opened it, only to stop when she saw the older dwarf who had helped deliver Fíli 5 years ago hold up a bundle that was crying and wiggling.

"Mama?" she hesitantly asked, feeling more certain when her mother shot her a tired but love filled smile.

"Come Níli, meet your new brother." Dís said in her husky voice, beckoning her daughter closer and biting her lip to keep in laughter when Níli's shoulders slumped. She had hoped for a sister.

"Oh," Níli sighed. "A brother, again? Mama, I already have Fíli."

Ignoring her daughter's moaning, she gently accepted her newborn son from the older dwarf and gestured for Níli to come closer, sending a smile towards the door when it opened to reveal her brothers and other son.

"Come," she said, "welcome the newest addition to our family."

Thorin and Frerin with Fíli in his arms made their way to the bed where Dís lay and marveled over the now calm newborn.

"A fine lad, sister." Thorin smiled proudly. "He will be a strong one."

"Indeed," Frérin grinned, "look at the dark hair, he has the Dúrin spirit."

Settling his nephew close to Dís, Frérin watched how Fíli studied his little brother before he looked up at his mother and smiled cutely.

"Accepted I believe." Thorin chuckled heartily. Looking behind him, he smiled gently at his niece who was still frowning at the floor. "Níli, come."

Reluctantly looking up at her uncle, Níli sighed but slowly walked toward the bed, stopping next to Thorin before he gave her a gentle push to urge her on. Giving her tired mother a kiss on her nose, she ignored Fíli trying to tug at her hair beads and looked down at her new brother.

His eyes were open, big and brown orbs staring up at her. Níli tilted her head and studied him silently. Nobody uttered a word until the baby began to cry softly.

"See!?" a distraught Níli exclaimed. "He does not even like me, mama!"

"Oh hush Níli," Dís frowned, "would you like it if someone looks at you with the face you just made? Come now," she sighed when her daughter looked down at the sheets guiltily, "say a proper hello to him. Go on."

Crawling further up the bed, Níli took a seat next to her mother and accepted the little bundle in her arms. When he didn't stop crying, she looked up helplessly to her uncles but both had amused smiles on their faces. 'They are not helpful,' she thought. Remembering her mother making noises when Fíli cried, she tried to do the same thing and frowned when he only began to cry harder. Ignoring the chuckles of the adults around her, Níli began to softly talk to her new brother.

"Look, it is no fun for me either. I have to hold you, that does not mean I want to. At least you smell nicer than when I held Fíli," she whispered, "he smelled awful!" To further explain how awful it was, she scrunched her nose up and stuck her tongue out with a disgusted face.

Her face fell back normally when the crying abruptly stopped. Tilting her head a little when she saw his lips beginning to tremble again, Níli pulled the same face again and huffed when the trembling stopped. "He likes my silly face more than my normal face."

Thorin, Frerin and Dís shared worried looks. Siblings were normally supposed to bond immediately, they had never seen something like this before.

Níli disappointed features stayed like that when she further inspected her brother. "We share the same hair." Looking at her mother, she took one hand from under her brother and pointed at the dark tuff of hair. "Look, that is it. At least me and Fíli-"

"Fíli and I, dear."

"-Fíli and me share the eyes, dimples and chin!"

"Why yes, indeed you do share all of those." Dís nodded before she pointed at her newborn son. "But look at his nose. And what about his lips, ears and eyebrows? They look very similar to yours, do you not think so?"

Looking at the things her mother pointed out, a smile slowly started to grace Níli's features. "Yes, I see it! Look mama, look at the little dot under his eye! I have that too!"

"See Níli?" Frérin smiled, relieved that his sister's daughter was smiling again. "He looks very much like you."

Nodding happily, Níli carefully bowed her head and pressed a tiny kiss on her brother's forehead. Straightening, she smiled when he cooed softly instead of crying.

"Look Fíli, this is our new brother. What is his name?" Níli asked her mother.

"You choose." Dís said after contemplating the thought for a while.

"Tíli. No wait," Níli snorted, "that is for a lass. Bíli? No no, not good. Hmm…" she murmered, looking at the ceiling as if that would help her come up with something.

"Kghh!"

Frowning, Níli rolled her blue eyes when she saw Fíli playing with the beads again.

"Kghh!"

"Fíli, I am thinking. Your 'kghh' noises are not help- wait! That's it! Kghh!" she grinned.

"What?" Thorin blinked. "You want to name your brother… 'kghh'?

Shaking her head as if it was the most stupid question he could have asked, Níli looked at her uncle and smiled. "No uncle Thorin, Kíli. See, I came up with the íli and Fíli the K. It is the fair thing to do, since it is not just my brother but ours."

Dís smiled proudly at her daughter and pressed a kiss to her hair, happy that her only female child was so kind hearted.

"Know what our new job is?" Níli asked Fíli, bending closer to her blond brother.

Shaking his head at his older sister, Fíli looked at her with wide and curious eyes.

"Protect him like he is the most important thing in the world, like all older siblings must do. Will you help me with that?" Grinning at Fíli when he gave her a very serious nod, she shuffled next to him and whispered to both her brothers. About what? Only they knew.

"Dís," Thorin whispered, not wanting to interrupt the whispering dwarflings. "Where is your husband? Do not tell me that… again?"

Snorting in amusement, the female dwarf motioned her head towards the other side of the bed. "He still cannot handle a birth it seems. I will wake him up when it is time for supper."

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_**That was the prologue for this story. If you enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it, please leave a review! And I may have written Thorin more gentle and kind, but keep in mind that it was worth a celebration.**_

_**Hope to see you in the next chapter!**_

_**xxx Habibty17**_


	2. A Change

_A/N:_

_Hey there! So, this chapter is still not in the timeline of the movies and books, but rather when the siblings were still younger. A bit of a sad chapter this time; their father has passed away during the Battle where Azog lost his arm and Thorin got his famous title Oakenshield. The siblings will be older than in the previous chapter and you will see a different side of a more mature, responsible Níli._

_Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my OC, Níli. The rest does not belong to me. Damn it.**

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**Chapter 2**

"Mama, please say something."

Níli was kneeling in front of her mother, a hopeful look on her face. Dís hadn't talked for days, too heartbroken by the terrible loss of her husband and beloved brother to truly see what was going on around her. She was as good as lost in her own mind, trapped in darkness and not knowing how to banish it.

"I need you," Níli whispered, grabbing a hold of her mother's hands and ignoring the cold touch that greeted her. "Fíli and Kíli need you, please mother. Try to come back for us."

It was no use. The past 7 days, her mother hadn't uttered a single sound except for the long, anguished cries that could be heard coming for her bedroom at night.

Níli sat there, hours it seemed before she gave up and released the hold on Dís' hands. "Come mama, I will take you to bed. The moon is shining bright tonight, it might help you sleep better." Being gentle, she lifted her smaller mother in her arms and carried her to bedroom before tucking her in the warm sheets. "Sleep mother, tomorrow is a new day." Pressing a final kiss to her mother's forehead, Níli walked from the room and closed the door behind her, willing her build up tears to go away.

Making her way to the living room, she sat down on her favorite chair and buried her face in her hands. She couldn't do this anymore; her mother always silent and unmovable, her uncle filled with grief for so many brave dwarves that were lost, including her youngest uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather. And then there were Fíli and Kíli, her beloved siblings who missed their mother's care and love.

All the pent up tears that she refused to shed almost made their way down her cheeks when she heard the floor creaking. "Níli? Is mama sleeping now?"

Taking her head out of her hands, she looked at her two siblings who were standing in the doorway with sad looks on their faces. She tried giving them a smile but was sure it came out more like a grimace. "Yes Fíli," she whispered, "mama is sleeping now. She was tired. Are you hungry? Do you need me to prepare some of the meat that we still have? I am sure I can make some stew, or-"

"No sister." Kíli shook his head, brown hair flaying around. "We just wanted to make sure mama was doing better. Is she?"

"Oh yes! Yes," Níli cleared her throat, hating to lie at her siblings but seeing no other option. She hated it even more when she saw her siblings unhappy. "She fell asleep immediately, she will be much better tomorrow."

Her two brothers shot each other skeptical looks before they wished her a good night and retreated to her room.

Sighing, Níli decided to do the same and walked to her room before starting to prepare herself for bed. Finally laying under the covers, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Sleep wouldn't come, not even after an hour of tossing and turning. She missed the comfort of her father, the gentle way in which he would always be able to bring a smile to her face, even when she got pranked horribly by her two younger brothers and found a toad in her favorite pair of leather boots. She missed her uncle Frérin, who had the most amazing humor she had ever witnessed, no doubt passed on to her brothers. And she missed her mother, the loving and gentle woman who was now suffering the losses of her dear ones.

She was taken out of her dark thoughts when she heard her door open. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she sighed sadly when she saw Kíli standing with tears in his brown orbs. Opening her arms, she motioned for him to come and he wasted no time in running to his sister and crawling into her arms, as if he was still a dwarfling.

"It's alright, no need to be strong now," she whispered to him, rubbing his back when she felt his shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs, "let it out."

Níli let out her own tears when she heard her brother's anguished sobs. Hearing the door open again, she looked over the shoulder of Kíli and held out one arm when she saw her other sibling standing, his blond hair unruly with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Fíli sniffed quietly. "I miss papa."

"Oh Fíli," Níli whispered, beckoning him towards her. When she had him in her other arm, she sat against her bed's headboard and made sure the blanket was tight around the three of them. "I miss papa too. And uncle Frérin. All our good friends. But you know what?" she sniffed, waiting for her brothers to look up at her. "We are going to make sure that they did not die in vain. We will honor them and tell everyone, even if they do not want to hear it, how they were the greatest warriors."

Neither sibling said anything. Both of them send her sad looks that made her heart clench before they snuggled back against her neck.

"Why is mama not with us?"

"Mama is sleeping, Kíli, you know that."

Níli frowned when he abruptly pulled away from her started glaring at her. "You always say that! That means she has been asleep for a week now! It's not fair, I want her here!"

Níli gently shushed him before pulling her younger brother back when he started to cry again. She knew her mother was deeply buried in her grief, but she had thought that having three children would get her out of it eventually. Níli could handle being alone, seeing as her uncle was busy now and stuck in his own grief, but her siblings were still young and needed the comfort of their mother. Yes, she was here now and both of them began to look up to her more and more when they needed something, but that was not the way it is supposed to be. Dís was supposed to comfort her children, hugging them close to her and whispering soothing words in their ears, like she herself was doing right now.

Níli felt her siblings' breathing grow steadier and they soon fell asleep. She didn't think about how they were actually to old now or the fact that her bed was not suited for three young dwarves; laying down with each sibling resting on one of her shoulders, she closed her eyes and tried to follow their example.

One last thing went through her head before she succumbed to a restless sleep.

'We did not just lose our father; we lost our mother as well. I will never forgive her for that.'

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_That was chapter 2, lads and lasses! Don't be too harsh on Níli; she kinda has to fill the role of both older sister and mother now. You'll notice later in the story that the relationship between the three siblings is very special, and the main reason is what happened in this chapter._

_Next chapter we'll start with the movie, this was just to show you how a horrific event can have a huge effect on how Níli will act later on._

_Don't forget to leave a review, pretty please ;) Hope to see you in the next chapter!_

_xx Habibty 17_


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